1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for holding garments hung on hangers, and more particularly to a garment holder assembly capable of supporting garments while positioned in two different attitudes.
The garment holder assembly of the present invention can be used, for example, with a conventional two-rail garment supporting system often used in garment warehouses or at laundries for storing such articles and carrying them to trucks for shipment to other locations. As shown in FIG. 1, such a two-rail system 11 comprises an upper rail 13 that is usually stationary, although it can be transportable, and a lower, or trolley rail, 15 that is suspended from the upper rail by a plurality of roller hooks 17. The hooks are secured to the trolley rail by welding or other fastening means, for example, and have rollers (not shown) at their top end that rest on the upper rail. In this way, the trolley rail can slide relative to the upper rail. The trolley rail can support a plurality of individual garments on conventional hangers or one or more garment holder assemblies each holding a plurality of garments. The two-rail garment supporting system thus can support a large number of garments and allow them to be conveniently moved by sliding the trolley rail along the upper rail.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One type of conventional garment holder hangs vertically from a roller hook and supports garments at different vertical heights. Such a garment holder is shown in FIG. 2 to comprise a soft knot lanyard 21 having a plurality of knots 23 at different vertical heights for supporting hangers 25. The lanyard is supported from a horizontal rail, such as the trolley rail 15 shown in FIG. 1, by a hook 27 having rollers 29 at its top curved end.
The conventional garment holder shown in FIG. 2 is acceptable for temporarily supporting a plurality of garments when, for example, the garments are being transported in a truck. Hanging the garments from a vertically disposed garment holder saves space and allows a maximum amount of garments to be transported. One drawback, however, is that the garments lie on top of one another when supported in the manner shown in FIG. 2 and tend to become wrinkled more easily. Therefore, when the garments are to be supported for an extended period of time in, for example, a warehouse, it is preferable that the garments hang side-by-side from a horizontal support assembly.
If a garment holder of the type shown in FIG. 2 is used to transport the garments, the individual garments must be transferred to and from a horizontal garment holder to the vertical garment holder. This procedure requires excessive time and effort.
While a garment holder of the type described above is known, further improvements in garment holders are desirable.